If this is what marrying the North to the South looks like, well count me in. With classic preppy New England style, this Connecticut affair had all the charm and comfort of the bride’s Southern roots. Melani Lust Photography was on hand to capture every perfect detail and the resulting gallery is one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Click here to see it!
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North Meets South. More than just a wedding theme – our reality. My now husband comes from a family born and bred in Connecticut. While I am from a family born and bred in Alabama and Tennessee. When we got engaged on my parent’s anniversary, he got his first dose of the deep South. My parent’s congratulated us and told us that this was the day that the South surrendered to the North, and now he surrenders to me, just like my dad did to my mom 29 years prior.
From then on, we tried to incorporate his New England upbringing with my Southern heritage. First, the venues – quintessential Connecticut. The church, Greenfield Hill Congregational, built in 1725, sits on the top of hill looking down on the town. The Patterson Club would provide guests with a night of true New England elegance and a reception to remember. The menu was a mix of the southern food I grew up on with a New England twist. Lobster rolls and fried green tomatoes. Shrimp scampi and Shrimp and grits. Everyone even looked the part. The groom and groomsmen wore traditional New England garb – khaki pants and blue blazers, with southern bowties and cotton boutonnieres. The bride wore an Amsale gown that when her Mother saw it said, “now that is a true southern wedding gown” while the bridesmaids wore J.Crew dresses in champagne with coral accents. The flowers combined the a rustic, natural look of the Connecticut woods with the elegance and softness of the South.
We welcomed guests with two simple rules and hoped for the best as our friends and families collided for the first time:
Southerners: Yankees are people too and they are about to be your family.
Northerners: Listen carefully; there won’t be a translator available.
We needn’t have worried. The ceremony was perfection. The sun was setting, leaving a spotlight of sunlight on us as we took our vows. We left the church married in a 1950’s Bentley ready to party. As we walked into The Patterson Club, my sister had arranged for a mash-up of Sweet Home Alabama (Roll Tide Roll!) and Empire State of Mind (Go Yankees!) to play and it set the perfect tone for the night. We danced all night to our Motown band, Jump Street, until, I took a second and looked around. I realized in that moment that everyone I loved was in one room to celebrate us. All the running around and travelling between families for a year and a half ended with everyone in one room, North meeting South.
Photography: Melani Lust Photography / Dress: Amsale from Plumed Serpent / Venue: The Patterson Club / Church: Greenfield Hill Congregational / Invitations: CMR Design / Band: Jump Street / Florist: Flowers by Marna / Shoes: Kate Spade / Hair: Meredith Tuozzoli of Hair Spot / Makeup: Melissa D’Antonio for MAC / Cake: Great Cakes